Thursday, May 23, 2013

I found this cool piece of driftwood a few months ago; you may recall my Springtime Driftwood Table Display. Well, the time had come to switch things up a bit and the table display has recently changed. The driftwood with its many pointed appendages was too cool to pack away.

Other unique limbs and branches are already on display throughout the home, so finding the perfect spot for this piece proved difficult.
Seeing as I have a rather large kitchen with high ceilings and minimal organic accents within it, and because I had grasped the wood and was carrying it vertically with its stubby branches pointed upward, an idea suddenly materialized . . . a tree stand for my coffee mugs! (and perhaps the numerous mugs in the sink waiting to be washed helped spark the idea too!)

A Found Piece of Driftwood Becomes a Mug "Tree" Stand

This piece of wood did not have the flattest base on which to set it upright. In fact, getting it to stand vertically proved somewhat difficult. I actually grabbed some old rusty nails I reclaimed from some barnwood and hammered them into the base of the "trunk" at an angle - almost in an attempt to create a tripod of legs. It took some adjusting to get the balancing just right but it finally happened.

Rusty Nails Hammered into the Base Help Balance the Driftwood

This method is fine for now but I do plan on encasing the bottom 1 1/2 inches of the branch base into a round concrete form to provide more weight and better support. I typically get round brown-paper craft boxes at Michael's to use as concrete forms for such projects. (a square base is an option too, in which I use the bottom half of a milk or creamer carton for the form)

A Perfect Display for a Deep Corner

This deep corner seemed the perfect spot for adding height and some organic flavor. The earthy branch stands in stark opposition to the cold stainless accents, but harmony is oddly achieved. I love mixing modern styling with organic items to create such scenarios as that above.

So, if you happen upon a piece of driftwood, fish it ashore and take it home. You never know what unique uses may come of it!